Interchangeable bottom for jail-cell walls.



D. F. YOUNGBLODD. l INTLRGHANGLABLL BOTTOM FOB JAIL CELL WALLS.

APPLICATION 'FILED MAB. 15, 1909.

am Mn D'. P. YOUNGBLOOD. INTERGHANGEABLE BOTTOMFOB JAIL CELL WALLS. APVPLIATION FILED MAE. 15, 1909. 956x787"l Patented May 3, 71910.

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@TED ST DAVID FRANKLIN YOUNGBLOOD, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

INTERCI-IANGEABLE BOTTOM FOR TAIL-CELL WALLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1910.

l.Application filed March 15, 1909. Serial No. 483,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Davro F. YOUNG- BLooD, a citizen of the United States, resid'- ing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Interchangeable Bottom for Jail-Cell IValls, of which the following is a specification.

In ail cells, as commonly constructed, the metal walls are solid to the floor-line so that when the lower parts of the walls become corroded or rotted, due to water splashed on the same in cleaning the floors or from other causes, it is practically impossible to repair the cell, and it is the usual custom, after a few years, to tear out and replace the entire cell construction, which is, obviously, a great item of expense to cities, counties and States in the up-keep of the jails. The corrosion of the walls takes place to a height of about six or eight inches above the floor-line, so that the major portion of the cell is practically as good as new, but owing to the corroded base portion, the whole cell has to be sacrificed.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the objections above noted by the provision of a cell construction wherein the parts liable to corrosion can be readily renewed as occasion requires, so that the main portion of the cell can be used almost indefinitely.

In carrying out the invention, the renewable bottom of the cell is composed of a licor plate or strip for each wall with a panel-like strip which constitutes the lower section of the wall, and this latter strip is secured to the upper body section of the wall by battens riveted to the said parts, so that when it becomes necessary to renew the bottom, the upper portion of the wall can be shored up or suitably supported while the batten is taken olf from the bottom and a new bottom replaced.

The invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invent-ion, Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of the improved cell. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of one wall of the cell. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3 3, Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of one wall of the cell.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the upper portion of the cell wall, and B, the lower section or bottom, which latter is adapted to be used with a solid plate upper section, as indicated at 1, Fig. 1, or a grating section 2. The lower section or bottom B is composed of a horizontal plate or strip-like member 3 which has secured along one edge thereof a pair of parallel angle irons 4 and 5, which are so arranged as to accommodate between corresponding upstanding flanges a vertical wall plate or panel 6, which, like the plate 3, is riveted or otherwise securely fastened to the angle irons. This plate 6 can be of such a height that the corrosion eEect of the water and moisture will not reach above it to the upper section of the wall. The vertical plate of the wall is secured to the upper section by one or more horizontal battens 7 securely riveted to the two sections of the wall and covering the joint between them. These battens are adapted to be removed when the lower section or bottom of the cell is corroded, so that a new bottom can be substituted, it being merely necessary to re-rivet the batten tothe two parts of the wall. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the members comprising the grating have their lower ends terminating in line with the bottom edge of the upper section of the wall, and these members are riveted to the battens.

Where a doorway C is provided in a wall, the interchangeable panels or plates 6 do not extend across the doorway and the door D for the latter extends to the floor-line, there being practically no corrosion of the door since the position of the latter is changed during the cleaning of the floors and it does not, therefore, become spattered with water. The angle corner pieces 7 for connecting adjacent walls together are made in two sections, the lower section a thereof being removable with the bottom of the cell, it being Asubject to corrosion like the parts 6. This is also true of the side members 8 of the door frame, their lower sections Z2 being removed with the bottom of the cell when corroded, for the same purpose. With a cell constructed in this manner, there is comparatively little expense in connection with the renewal of the bottoms of the cells, and by means of the present invention, the most expensive parts of the cells can be used indefinitely.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

l. A wall construction for jail cells comprising a base section consisting of a plate disposed in a vertical plane and extending along the bottom of the wall, an upper section including a grating consisting of members having their lower ends terminating at the bottom edge of the upper section, said upper section being arranged with its lower edge resting on the upper edge of the said plate of the base section, a batten disposed over the joint between the two sections, and tastenings extending through the batten and the sections of the wall for securing the parts together, certain of the astenings securing the lower ends of the members of the grating to the batten.

2. A wall construction for jail cells comprising a base section consisting of a plate the bottom edge of the upper section, said upper' section being arranged with its lower edge resting on the upper edge of the said plate of the base section, a batten disposed over the joint between the two sections, fastenings extending through the batten and the sections of the wall for securing the parts together, certain of the tastenings securing the lower ends of the members of the grating to the batten, said batten being of less length than the width of the wall, and

vertically-disposed angle irons secured to the ends of the wall for connection with adj a cent walls each angle iron being composed oit' separable sections meeting at the jointbetween the two sections of the wall.

3. A wall construction for jail cells comprising upper and lower sections arranged with the bottom edge of the upper section resting on the top edge of the lower section to form a horizontally-disposed butt joint, angle irons extending along the vertical edges of the sections and secured thereto for connection with adjacent walls, the angle irons of each section meeting in a joint in line with the butt joint between the sections, battens disposed between the angle irons at the ends of the wall and covering the butt joint between the sections, and means for fastening the battens to the sections of the wall.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID FRANKLIN YOU NGBLOOD.

Witnesses:

J. J. MURRAY, E. R. BROOKS. 

